A Picturesque Jeddah

The Pink Tarha Ladies would like to welcome our very first "guest blogger" for this particular entry. Her name is Nikoll Long and she's a professional photographer. She's a big fan of our blog and when we saw pictures of her recently concluded Jeddah trip on Facebook, we just couldn't resist and asked her if she can share her experience with us and the rest of our readers. Pink Tarha ladies E and R have both been to Jeddah and have featured their trips here and here. Nikoll, however, has a unique story to tell about Jeddah. Just let the pictures speak for themselves!

I recently had the pleasure of traveling to Jeddah, one of the Kingdom’s “hot spots” for tourism. Although I’ve been in the Kingdom for three and a half years, I had yet to visit this diving paradise until a couple of weeks ago.

Located on the Red Sea, Jeddah is known for it’s relaxed atmosphere, beautiful corniche and world class diving. I have to say, however, I didn’t really know what to expect. Are the people really that different? Is the culture more open? Is there anything fun to do there? The answer is yes!

Jeddah is about 2,500 years old and was a fishing village that the tribes of Quda’a first settled in. For many years it was the official port into Saudi Arabia for pilgrims arriving to perform Hajj and Omra in Mecca.

Welcome to Jeddah!

We arrived on a Wednesday evening and transferred to our hotel, Al Bilad.We could feel the difference in the humidity before we got off the plane. A shuttle for the hotel greeted us, which was great! No taxi fare! This service is included in the room charge at Al Bilad.

We ate dinner at Ruby Tuesdays. I have to recommend eating somewhere a bit more local than this American chain that had slow service (despite our group of 12 being almost the only ones there!) and the food wasn’t anything special. One of our taxi drivers recommended a place called Al Wadaa for dinner, which is along the north end of the corniche. Apparently it has plenty of seafood and other fresh favorites and patrons can sit out on a patio that overlooks the sea. I think I’ll check it out next time I go!

Thursday morning my mom and I hired a taxi recommended by the hotel to take us around town. We drove along the corniche stopping every so often to shoot photos and appreciate the endless sculptures and works of art throughout the city.

One of my favourite pieces of art in the city is a row of giant lanterns that light up in the evening. They’re absolutely gorgeous!

Another interesting attraction is the floating mosque, which is located on the corniche and is on stilts in the water.

A brilliant section of downtown is Al Balad, which is the old city area of Jeddah. It’s full of old mud houses that in some cases are several stories high. The buildings have been around for more than 200 years, and although some of them show their age, they’re doing quite well for having been made of wooden beams and blocks constructed of sand from the sea.

We stopped briefly at the antique souk, but found that many of the wares are from other parts of the Middle East, such as Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan. There weren’t many items that were native to Jeddah, or even Saudi Arabia for that matter. Although we didn’t explore any of the other souks, supposedly the carpet and handicraft souks are excellent and have some of the best shopping (souk-wise) in the Kingdom.

The people in Jeddah are very different from those in Riyadh. They don’t stare or gawk at tourists. No one told us not to take photos and everyone behaved quite openly and civilly to us. The general atmosphere is very relaxed and people seem to take the time to enjoy life in Jeddah. The traffic (although still terrible) is definitely a few steps above Riyadh and you’re surprised to find drivers actually give way some of the time! It’s as though you’re not in Saudi Arabia anymore!

After our morning of touring the city we decided it was time to hit the beach. Al Bilad Hotel (like many hotels in Jeddah) has its own private beach to which they provide a free shuttle several times per day.

We hopped on and in 20 minutes we were standing on a private beach full of people all dressed in swimming attire. Saudis and expats alike hung up their abayas and thobes to enjoy the sun, sand and water.

I had never really been snorkeling before, so having my first experience be in the Red Sea was a treat to say the least. As soon as I put my face in the water an entirely new and breathtaking world appeared before me.

Fish swam right up to my face as I explored the beautiful multi-coloured coral and sea life.

I was hooked! The next day we took the early bus after breakfast and spent the entire day snorkeling and relaxing on the beach. With food and drinks on the beach and plenty of sun there’s no need to leave, unless you’re catching a flight that night back to Riyadh!

A weekend away in Jeddah makes one appreciate some of the amazing things we can find in the Kingdom. We as expats are very lucky to experience treasures such as the un-touched parts of the Red Sea, where tourists outside of the Kingdom will never get the opportunity.

So, for all you Riyadh dwellers that are looking for a peaceful, relaxing and truly refreshing weekend away within the Kingdom check out Jeddah.

PS. I hear the malls are amazing! I thought fans of this blog would be especially interested in that fact! I think I’ll make the effort to include retail therapy in my next trip there!


-Nikoll Long aka BB (Blonde Bombshell)


You can view more of Nikoll's beautiful photograph portfolio at her website:

Nikoll Long Photography
Website: www.nikolllong.com
Email: contact@nikolllong.com

The Allure of Al-Khobar Part 3 of 3

Why hello folks, still catching up with us? Okay, time for me to tie loose ends on my Eid trip to the Eastern province. This is the third and last entry of my Al-Khobar feature. I'm hoping you're still with me on this one.

I guess Saudi Arabia is big on street art. I know Jeddah has huge street monuments done by prominent artists. They have the Ad-Darrajah (The Bicycle), As-Sofon (The Ship), At-Tayyarah (The Airplane), Al-Falak (The Orbit), and Al-Jawad Al-Abyad (The White Horse). These I have yet to see.

Riyadh doesn't have a major street art though. The city leans more towards landscape like the one in the intersection of King Fahd Road and Mecca Road which features a well-lit landscape, whose meaning [if there's one] eludes me. There's a series of er, rocks assembled like the Stonehenge and stages illuminated and highlighted by dancing lights of various colors. Of course the date trees are understandable. But the rest... can someone please explain to me what the landscape portrays? Anyway, let's leave this segue way portion behind muna and go back to Al-Khobar...

Al-Khobar, on the other hand, has its share of street art prominently displayed on roundabouts (traffic circles). I enjoyed looking at the structures during our ride around town on our Day 3.

Rainbow in Doha Road.

Er... wings?

Sails? Remind me of our very own Mindanao 'vintas.'

Sort of a machine?

Golden pearl? This one is special because it's in the middle of a fountain.

These are the only ones I managed to capture. I'm not sure how many I've missed but by the looks of it, these designed roundabouts are such a trend. The companions hated the roundabouts though. We made a couple of mistakes entering turns which led us to roads further from our destination. LOL. One time, because the lead car in our small convoy was confused on which road to take, it stopped abruptly causing us to do the same. The pick-up behind us nearly bumped into our vehicle. Good thing, the driver had a good reflex but was in a foul mood after that. He kept on honking at us 'til we were out of sight. (Okay, okay, we got the point! It was our fault! Please stop ruining our eardrums!) The kicker was both roads led to the same road in the end! Gah!

Here are some more scenes from the corniche:

Tower, playground, tramvia.

I'm very happy seeing Saudi families having their picnics on the lawns, parks, and gardens scattered along the corniche, especially at night. It's something I do not normally see in Riyadh. (Most of the grassy patches you'll see in Riyadh are beside major thoroughfares.) Too bad, we didn't have the time to stroll on the Baywalk-like area because it was a very hot noon and we were checking out of our hotel. We didn't have a photo in that area. Huhu. Well, no worries, it might be the perfect reason to go back! We also ate at a Filipino restaurant in Al-Khobar's "Batha" area but I wasn't able to take photos of the food. I didn't even got the resto's name! Too.hungry.to.think.

After three days, it's time to head home for us. Even if I enjoyed Al-Khobar, I cannot stay any longer. The life and work is in Riyadh so we bid ma'asalamah to Al-Khobar at 4 in the afternoon and journeyed across the desert again.

Where to? Riyadh is not in the choices, LOL.

Camels from a distance.

Desert sunset.

Al-Khobar certainly has its charms that endeared it to a lot of Filipino expats. I can see that clearly with my trips to the sea city. I know I haven't given enough justice to the beauty of this city, as per its residents, but I hope I got there near enough. If you have other things/stuff/places to add, please feel free to comment.

I can't wait to go back for another swimming trip to Al-Khobar but for now, I'm happy to be back home in Riyadh where the towering Mamlaka and Faisaliah beckon. And of course, where the Pink Tarha awaits.

This year's Eid moon over Riyadh City.

The Allure of Al-Khobar Part 1 of 3

If you're tuned in to the Pink Tarha tweets and plurks last Eid vacation (September 16-25 for us), you should have known that the Pink Tarha Ladies decided to separate ways. Indeed it's true. We took different roads... leading to different destinations!

Did you think we disbanded? Ano kami, all-girl singing group?! LOL. We just spent our Eid holidays away from each other. We were separated by distance. Awww. (But we'll get back together again soon.)

We heeded our How To Spend Your Eid Vacation entry. Eyecandy did number 4 while Shoegarfreeruby and yours truly took number 1. (M is in the Philippines right now.) R went to Bahrain while moi went to the Eastern province for the nth third time. First was last year's eid vacation too while second is during my whirlwind train trip with E. Goes to show how much I miss my province back home. I long for the province's simple allure.

Anyway, on to the journey to Al-Khobar, Saudi Arabia! Yey! I decided to do a three-part feature on Al-Khobar because this is one, if not the primary, destinations of OFWs in Riyadh during breaks (weekends, holidays, etc.). And why not? It's near, it's laidback, and it's very beach-y. Love! But before we reach this urban center, I'll walk you through the road trip.

Al-Khobar is four hours away by car. If your mean machine is well-oiled and built for the journey, go for it! Yes, yes, it might seem such a boring idea but believe me, the things you'll discover on the road is so interesting it will make you write a post about them. Haha. Best time to start the journey will be around 3 or 4 in the morning. Make sure your driver is alert by now.

So, it's all sand in there? Look closer.

True, it's all desert. Magsasawa ka. It's bleak and dry and the sun's muted rays can hurt your eyes but you don't have to stare at your surroundings all the time. I was alternating in finding the best napping position inside a moving vehicle, taking a nap, and looking outside. Very productive noh? The good thing about this is the roads are so smooth and wide. It's like cruising along NLEX (only better) all the way to the destination.

No to boredom.

Once on the road, you might think it'll get boring from now on. After all, what can you possibly do while crammed in the backseat? Well, try doing what my brothers and I did: eat, sing, dance (yes, dancing on the seat imagine!), laugh, sleep, and picture-picture. Have a sound trip, laugh trip or both on your trip na trip.

What I hate about this trip is the comfort rooms located on the gasoline stations in the side of the road. While gas stations are like mushrooms sprouting once in a while in the desert, they do not offer clean comfort rooms. (Thus my visions of desert oasis are clouded forever.) The ladies' CR are not just plain dirty, they're smelly and disgusting. (I dunno about the the guy's version but I'm expecting it's more or less the same, or worse!) Please tell me you've gone to better comfort rooms somewhere so the next time I have to go to one, I will know there's a saving grace somewhere in those roadside pit stops.

Are we there yet?!

Finally, we reached Al-Khobar four hours later. This city is a part of the "triumvirate" with Dammam and Dhahran. Others call them "triplets" because of their proximity and likeness to each other.

We had to find a flat in one of those apartment/ hotel buildings in the center and settled in Al-Bushra Hotel Apartments. The hotel is conveniently located near markets, groceries, and major highways. Priced at SR1,300 for a 3-day/2-night stay, we found the suite affordable. It has three bedrooms, two CRs (clean, thank goodness), a living room and a small kitchen. Okay na sa olrayt.

Sunshine through my window.

I chose the bed near the window because I love the sun. I want the sun's rays flooding my bedroom in the morning. And look, I have a good view of the King Abdul Aziz street below and the mosque across the street. I was worried I might awaken everytime the dawn salah calls but it didn't happen. I was fast asleep under the warm comforter. The large pillow strained my neck a little because it was too high. The bed can accommodate two persons, wala nga lang galawan. Good thing, I'm the only one occupying this space, or else laglag ang katabi. LOL.

Views from my window.

My younger brother was amazed on the different kind of hotness in this place, especially during the afternoon of our first day when we were about to head to the beach. It's his first time in Al-Khobar (pero sabi n'ya "Hoy, hindi ko 'to first time sa Al-Khobar. Second time na... yung una kaninang umaga. Yung pangalawa naman ngayong hapon!" Geeez!). The air is hot and humid, unlike Riyadh's hot and crisp. The vibe in this municipality has always been laidback and relaxed compared to the capital city. Okay, okay, we know... visitors to Riyadh will always find it a snob city - stiff and strict. So yes, if you want to breathe a little, head to Al-Khobar. It's the perfect weekend getaway.

The beach is our next destination. See me in my bikini. LOL. The second installment of this travel series is not too far away. See you then.

The Pink Tarha Goes To Dammam

If you haven't noticed by now, two of the PT girls are hands down lakwatseras (Sundrenched and moi). Apart from combing the city of Riyadh for the past two months, we've been planning on this train trip to Dammam ever since the year started (primarily because we wanted to experience the "train" ride). However, it was only last week when we finally got it out of our system.

Drumroll...
Time and again, I would hear Sundrenched exclaim, "Let's go to Dammam!". But it was always like a yeah-whatever-moment. Until one day, we were scheduling our weekly activities for June and said, "Okay, we need to do this Dammam thing already. June 17-18 would be a spot-on day for us to go". So S did the research and two days before our scheduled departure, we purchased our VIP tickets at the train station. We left Wednesday afternoon for their 4pm trip. Check out the amenities and the view:

VIP sections boasts of their leather seats and more spacious space. :p That's what the train looks like from the window seat (upper right side of photo)

The traveling divas.

It's all desert baby. Magulat ka kung may makita kang dagat.

The trip takes around 4-5 hours with the train making a stop at Hofuf for another set of passengers (VIP section allows co-ed and families to travel mixed). It must be noted that the trip going to Dammam has you going backwards...meaning, you are seated facing the North but the ride is going towards the South (get my drift?). It may appear to be a little kick in the head for the sensitive ones, especially if you constantly have migraines, but I personally didn't mind. I mean, everything else in Saudi Arabia is backwards, why be surprised if their train does the same? They serve complimentary Arabic/Turkish tea with dates early on the departure and there are food carts that go through the coach every two hours. The food is nothing fancy at all. For all I know, our cafeteria serves better food. You've got water and a bag of chips as the best bet from that food trolley. I suggest you pack your own snacks. For S, she munched the trip away with a good book at hand.

Day 1: Hola Dammam and Corniche!

We arrived at the Dammam station half-past 9 and we waited for my dear friend Amir, along with his family, to pick us up. Amir is a good friend of mine from high school and his family moved to Dammam a couple of years back to set up a restaurant business (Their Filipino resto is called TFC: Tropical Food Center). They were extremely generous enough to offer their home to us during our overnight trip and props to Amir, for being an awesome host!

After dinner, S and I expressed our plans of visiting the Corniche early the next day but since Amir's dad would be unable to take us there the following morning, we decided to stake out the hotspot that very night.

According to Amir's dad, the shoreline of the Corniche has been constantly under development. I'd say they are doing a helluva job.

That's me with my friend, Amir and S posing on the other.

A beautiful cityscape behind us. Now with Kuya Rex, Amir's older bro.

One thing that really made a mark on S and I by the way was the WEATHER! When we first got out of the van to get a closer look at the water, we were attacked by the strongest humid air I could ever imagine! It was killer HOT! And we were absolutely melting at where we stood. I was strongly inclined to take my clothes off and jump into the water that very minute. But then again, my better judgment crept in (dammet). Anyhoo, we enjoyed scouting the sights, seeing restaurants and theme parks mushroom their way through the shoreline. The landscape was well-maintained and it would appear to be a favorite for families to hang out during the day with mini-playgrounds available for children to play at. Somehow, I thought it was better that we visited during the night because I cannot imagine the heat that it could further muster during the day. Photo-ops will suffer but then again, I want to live more than I want to have a good photograph. Perhaps during winter would be the best time to visit.

Day 2: Daytrippin' and Malling
S and I woke up to the idea of visiting the largest mall there is in the Eastern Province. Since we knew that the hot weather will get the best of us, what better way to escape its wrath than by going to the mall? Amir hooked us up with a taxi and off we went to AlKhobar's Al Rashid Mall. We took pictures of the streets of Dammam along the way and wondered, where are all the people? Hehe. Compared to Riyadh, I don't see any Afghanis or Pakistanis hanging out on the sidestreets. Most of the time, they're just empty. Hmmm, maybe they're all at the beach? :p

Taken while we were in the cab. We also spotted the Mall of Dhahran along the way. Does this mean we were at Dhahran too? :P

We arrived at Al Rashid Mall and maaan, it was HUGE! S and I were like Hansel and Gretel, lured by the delectable treats in the evil witch's house! We spotted stores that weren't available in Riyadh and those were the ones we hit. There was FOREVER21 (now that experience will be relayed in a separate post), Popeye's fastfood chain (there used to be a Popeye's in Riyadh when I was younger, but I wonder why it disappeared?) and the Le Royale Cake (where a certain friend of ours begged us to get her some bread from their bakery).

Sights we hit at the Al Rashid Mall

The mall was a delight to visit. For me, it felt like I was in a mall in the Philippines with the atmosphere being more lax and open. The food court was noisy and crowded with males and families sitting together in one area. You would have seen a sparkle in my eye as I gazed the surroundings, almost surprised that such a scenario can exist inside the Kingdom. We bought a lot of pastry items from Le Royal Cake as pasalubong for our families back in Riyadh and ended up waiting for our driver to pick us up at 4pm.

Self-timer: S and I enjoyed a cool, caffeine drink at the Ladies' section of Al Rashid's Starbucks while waiting for the cab.

Ma'asalama Dammam!

We came back to Amir's house at around 5pm to get ready for our train trip back. Our train leaves at around 7pm and we neded to be there at least an hour before. It seems to be a quick trip ain't it? We've had a blast, mostly because of our stay with Amir and his family. If it weren't for them, we probably wouldn't have enjoyed our visit as much. (Coz you know, me and S just originally planned this whole trip to be a back and forth thing...like...we just wanted to experience the train, that was basically what we wanted) So had Amir not offered, it would have been far less exciting than it was. So a big big, BIG THANK YOU AMIR! *air kisses* The Pink Tarha Team is grateful. *bows*

Here are some of our photos before leaving Dammam. Did I mention that we were in VIP class during our trip? :D Posh kung posh.

Our pretty travel bags sat with us at the Al Rehab lounge, where VIPs are seated while waiting for the trip. (The blue floral bag is Sundrenched's, from Mexx and the hand-painted pink floral is mine from Accessorize)

Bye Dammam! We had fun!
xoxo

The trip back made more sense now. We were no longer going the opposite direction. And, we finally checked Dammam off our to-do list? What's next? Perhaps Bahrain this coming Eid? I've heard of talks of maybe London? hahaha. For sure, it will be out of the country na next time. Unless someone invites us back to Dammam for a re-run. :)

Cheers!

-ec-


Saudi Railway Services
Daily Trips to RUH-DAM, DAM-RUH
Must purchase tickets at least one day before.

Contact:
Riyadh Railway Station
Malaz, Riyadh
Tel: +966-1-473-4444
Reservation: 920008886

Rates (one-way) per classes of seats:
2nd Class (Al-Qafela): 60 SAR
1st Class (Al-Taleaa): 75 SAR
VIP Section (Al-Rehab): 130 SAR
Check more specific fare rates and reservation terms and conditions here.

Trip schedule:
http://www.saudirailways.org/portal/page/portal/PRTS/root/Home/02_Passengers_Services/2Information/03TripSchedule

Slices of This Desert City (2 of 2)

This is a long delayed post. I feel like...because of all the lakwatsa that Sundrenched and I have been doing (apart from other aspects of my 'social' life, *ahem*) that I'm been complacent with writing my entries for the blog. Sundrenched is right in saying that we've been spending a LOT of time together wandering the city every weekend. We just finished taking a month-long photography course and this June, our calendars are PACKED with activities! Anyway, let me help wrap up this series on our Tour of Riyadh. One of the highlights was the Hanging Bridge.

The 'Golden Gate' or 'San Juanico Bridge' of Riyadh (?)

They call it the "Hanging Bridge" for the apparent 'suspension' effect of the steel bars that appear to be holding the bridge up. It's not very long at all. You could probably yawn from start to end and the cross is over. Haha. I'm not too good in estimating distance by numbers.

Members of our tour group trying to get a closer look of the bridge.

Under the bridge.

The bridge is in the far south of Riyadh's city center and bridges the gap between a 'dam-like' area where confiscated vehicles from the city are stocked and piled up. You can see how many bad drivers are there in this city by the number of cars lined up at that joint! There are cars as far as the eye can see, I tell you!

This is the closest I could get to the edge of the cliff. Those teeny weeny "granule-looking" objects below are the confiscated cars.

With us posing by the bridge, we were sure to stop traffic! Haha! I remember that a lot of the cars were honking at us as they passed by and the entry way of the bridge got clogged up for a good 2-3 minutes with drivers intrigued by the group of people scattered around in a remote area in the desert taking photos. I waved back, confident that they are too far away to actually see my face anyway. Just for kicks. ;)

Sundrenched and Eyecandy @ The Hanging Bridge.

Til our next out and about trip...

Cheers!

-ec-

Slices of This Desert City (1 of 2)

Once our lakwatsa starts, it never ends.

Eyecandy and I are hell bent on discovering Riyadh. Our mini adventures around town has led us to the point of seeing each other everyday. As in every single day. We are now saying the same things and doing the same gestures at the same time! Kulang na lang magkapalit kami ng mukha! Haha. Kung nagkataon, lugi si Eyecandy. Hehe.

Anyway, one of our trips around Riyadh took us to the Nasiriyah Gate. Huh?! NASIRIYAH GATE. Do you know where it is? What it is? No? Yeah we thought so too because apparently, even some Saudis do not acknowledge the existence of this archway. Because I had a hard time hearing what our tour guide was saying (lousy megaphone, heavy accent), I tried researching on the net to provide more information about this gate but almost all my searches came up with nothing except this link.

The Nasiriyah Palace Gate, the only doorway to a past long unheeded.

The Nasiriyah Gate was the entrance to King Saud's palace complex. It was well-known during those days, around 1950s. It served as a gate that literally closes on curfew time. The years this archway stood prominently and elegantly were the years of extravagance and lavishness for Riyadh, or for this part of Riyadh only.

Forgotten?

The Nasiriyah Gate still stands, not prominently but solemnly, when we saw it near sundown. It's not as dilapidated as we expected it to be. The arch itself looks restored with a coats of paint but that's just the outer part. The inner side where you can pass through are pillars and walls filled with graffitti. Old meets new.

The antithesis.

Enter.

The fountains on the fenced ground where the arch is are working. The droplets of water become crystal-like with the sun rays. Bouts of nostalgia will overwhelm you if you breathe in the mnemonic ambiance of the place. It's just sad to be ignored ain't it?

Yearning for the old days.

Silhouettes at sunset.

This time, we're not just seeing Saudi Arabia's history behind glass panels and displays. We're walking on it! Take this journey with us. More places to visit in Riyadh from Eyecandy on her next post.

***Directions to the Nasiriyah Gate can be found on the link provided above.

::Sundrenched::

White Sand? We Have Red!

The first "tourist" attraction Filipinos go to in Riyadh is the Red Sand. The Red Sand is located 80 kilometers outside Riyadh's city center and is less than an hour away so it's the perfect weekend getaway for us who are looking for some change in an otherwise lazy weekend afternoon.

Before reaching the Red Sand, the road leading to this spot is gifted with amazing views as well. Sedimentary rock walls sandwich the road. And the road probably looks like a snake from an aerial view judging by all the bends we have to traverse. The slight shift of the car gear is no biggie especially when there's a surprise that awaits each bend.

The rock walls.

A surprise awaits after this bend.

The well-paved road opens up to this:

The world is out there.
(My photography skills did not do this justice!)

The scene is something from a desert movie with a huge budget for a stunning cinematography. The lighting from the sun's muted rays provides the landscape a serene ambiance under the sweltering desert heat. Very ironic yet beautiful. The huge rocky formation from a distance is a great backdrop for the bleak, dusty highways too. With these, who needs editing?

A scene from Arizona?

And now on to the Red Sand. Though the first view from this place doesn't prove to be as amazing as the panoramic views on the way, the red orange color of the sand is enough for me to be awed.

This sand is red orange and we are like ants in a red orange anthill.

Looking at the hills of sand, I doubted my capability to climb but because of the sand's very fine texture, the uphill trudge was not much of a trouble. Besides, having my feet buried under the warm particles is enough for me to go on. It's like having a free foot scrub! ;)

Once on top, there's a sweeping view of the desert!

Whew!

This is where the sun met the sand.

Footprints... and wheel prints.
Don't forget to become a tourist. Snap away!

There's nothing much to do here except to have picnics on a fine day, run around like crazy, take photos, and observe what other people are doing from the different peaks of the dune. Or, sometimes, there are daredevils who use their vehicles and ATVs in committing suicide going up and down the slopes that we can watch. Some can conquer the almost vertical drops but others are quite unlucky and end up getting buried in the sand with their mean, bad machines flying and landing nearby. Good thing, the sand is soft and cushions their falls.

The Red Sand is the perfect spot to begin discovering the wonders of this desert.

After the Red Sand, it's very likely that the next stop will be the Hidden Valley. This place deserves an entry of its own.